While it wasn’t exactly the best kept secret, Atlus has finally revealed thatPersona 4 Goldenis available now on PC.Golden, which admittedly had a handicapped lifespan on PS2 and Vita, will now receive the new life it deserves on a much more accessible platform. Outside ofCatherineClassic, Atlus has never really published its most iconic franchises on PC before today, but withPersona 4 Goldenalready out, it’s a good sign for JRPG fans on PC that futurePersonatitles could be coming to the platform.
Atlus has never shied away from porting any of its franchises to PC, despite its release history largely tethered to PlayStation consoles. There’s never been an exclusivity deal of some kind brokered forPersona, so it is possible that the incredibly popular series could be sending more titles to PC in the future. Whether it’s more ports or further entries, the future of the series may be bright on PC.
Persona 4’s Release History
The release ofPersona 4 Goldenon PC is a special case in a lot of unfortunate ways. Two years after the PS3 had already been released, the original release ofPersona 4came out for PS2 in 2008. Many PlayStation fans were already two years removed from even owning a PS2, much less willing to buy a game for a system they no longer used. For that reason,Persona 4never even really had a chance in the west, despite being a smash hit in its home country of Japan. Even though it was technically the highest selling game on PS2 that year, it didn’t really have that much competition on a then-retro system. Hardcore fans ofPersonawould’ve held out forPersona 4’s release, but basically any average player or newcomer would’ve understandably moved on to PS3/Xbox 360 by 2008.
Then eventuallyPersona 4saw a definitive release,Golden, on the PlayStation Vita. This was yet another unfortunate case for this JRPG being released on a console wherePersona 4wouldn’t get the mainstream attention it deserves.Persona 4 Goldenmade several important improvements both gameplay and graphics-wise, fitting in extra Social Links as well as taking advantage of the better horsepower compared to PS2. But the PlayStation Vita was a handheld console, and it was a huge commitment forPersonafans who didn’t already have a Vita. Regardless the game didn’t fail sales-wise,consideringPersona 4is one of the best JRPGS of all time, but it never truly got the attention it deserved because of these arbitrary obstacles.
Atlus and PC Gaming
Of course, much of that could be remediedwith the PC release ofPersona 4 Golden, which could carry on futurePersonatitles as well. Atlus has never been averse to releasing games on hardware that isn’t a PlayStation, at least not outwardly.Catherinewas the first Atlus game to be published on PC, along with the spin-off seriesPersona Qreleasing on Nintendo 3Ds. Sega, Atlus' parent company, has consistently expressed interest in releasing games on the PC platform as long as fans express interest.Persona 4 Goldenseems to be a reflection of this effort, likely serving as a gauge of interest and whether or not it’d be worth it to port further titles to the PC platform.
Sega Europe’s senior vice president John Clark has previously stated that games likeYakuzaandPersonaare “in the conversation” for potential releases to PC.Atlus has even sent surveys to fans for feedback on interest for ports to Switch, as well as a separate survey for PC interest. It’s also worth noting that a rather popular PS3 emulator “RPCS3” was issued a DMCA takedown notice when the project released gameplay footage ofPersona 5running on PC. Atlus did issue a statement noting the interest in a PC port ofPersona 5(and the franchise in general), but noted that “For now, the best way to experiencePersona 5is on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3.”
Persona’s Future on PC
Now it seems Atlus is heeding the call forPersonaon PC withGolden’s re-release. It lends credence to Atlus' aforementioned statement, and that the publisher understands there’s a vested interest on the PC platform forPersonaand other titles. Plenty of other Sega titles have come to the PC likeYakuzaandSonic the Hedgehog, so there’s at least no inherent limiting factors that would prevent Atlus from publishing more games on the platform. Even thoughPersona 4 Goldenwas a special case in terms of how it was released, othergames likePersona 5 Royalhave already seen great success on PS4, meaning a PC port would be especially encouraging.
ConsideringPersona 5 Royaljust came out for PS4 earlier this year, it’ll probably be a while beforePersona 5finds its way to PC. Not to mentionPersona 5 Scramble, which still doesn’t have a localization datefor Europe and North America at this time. Atlus will likely give those releases some time to breath before considering aPersona 5release on PC. That being said, it does mean there’s no reason why the publisher shouldn’t releasePersona 5, or otherPersonagames on PC. There’s a clear interest inPersonagames making their way to the platform from fans all around the world. Just look at Steam’s Global Top Sellers rankings as of 6/13, andPersona 4 Goldenshot right up to the top in no wasted time.
If ever Atlus or Sega needed evidence thatPersonafans want to play the game on PC,Persona 4 Goldenis it. Regardless of the circumstances behind the fourth game’s initial releases, JRPG fans want more on PC than the publisher may have assumed before.
Persona 4 Goldenis available now on PC via Steam.
MORE:Persona 6 on PS5 Could Still Follow Persona 5’s Original Pitch
